


Falling Slowly

by nico_neo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Jaemin is send by his parents, Jeno and Hyuck are twins, Kinda inspired by The Secret Of Brokeback Mountain, M/M, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation, he doesn’t like it at the beginning, jeno and nana with animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 11:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18570556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nico_neo/pseuds/nico_neo
Summary: Jaemin didn't expect his summer to go this way.Not at all.





	Falling Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote that... last year but never posted it lmao 
> 
> So since it’s Jenos birthday today, why not ?

Saying that Na Jaemin was angry was an understatement. 

He was  _ super _ angry. Over 9000.

Long story short, his parents thought it was going to be the greatest idea ever to send him work to his grandparent’s friends ranch. The Lee’s ranch.

First of all, Jaemin absolutely didn’t know who the Lee’s were, like, never heard of them. And secondly, he had already planned to spend his summer with his friend Mark, who was going to go back to Canada after the end of the summer for his studies. So, when his parents announced that they were going to send him to the Lee’s ranch, in the fucking middle of nowhere, his world crumbled down and he threw a tantrum like a six years old little boy. Even though he was turning eighteen in August.

So, here he was now, in a car, in the direction of the Lee’s house. And he was already bored. The only thing he had seen for the past two hours were fields, some cows, and a lot of horses. He could see mountains in the background and it’s at this moment he realized that the city was far,  _ far _ away. 

Na Jaemin wanted to disappear. 

 

When he woke up, he noticed that the car had stopped and that it was parked in front of a… ranch.

They were in front of what Jaemin supposed was the house, but he spotted stables and paddocks a few meters away. So he assumed it was not that small.

He got out of the car, not without sighing and got his luggage out of the car’s trunk. His mother was already discussing with an old woman as well a young, tall and brown-haired man. He must be a few years older than Jaemin at most. He made his way towards them and stood by his mother side, silently.

“Ah, you must be Jaemin!” Mrs. Lee smiled at him. “Nice to meet you.” She pointed the brown-haired next to her. “This is one of my grandsons, Jaehyun, he’ll show you around while I talk you with your mother.”

Jaehyun smiled at him, revealing dimples and mentioned to follow him. Jaemin reluctantly let his luggage near his mother and followed the older.

“So, as you surely guessed, the huge building here.” Jaehyun pointed the house behind him as they were walking. “Is the house, we sleep and eat here. Just that.” He explained.

Jaemin nodded and followed him silently to the barn. Jaehyun opened the door and entered. The barn was mostly filled with hay bales, Jaemin wasn’t really surprised. What surprised him tough, was that one the bale suddenly fell from the top floor. It startled him, and he heard Jaehyun laughing.

“Yah! Be careful dumbass!” The older shouted jokingly.

“And what if it was on purpose?” shouted back another voice.

A few seconds later, a head emerged from the heap of bales. It was a young man with black hair. He was smiling wide at them. He must have around Jaehyun’s age.

“Oh, so the newbie is there already!” He said when he spotted Jaemin. “Coming!” he added before disappearing from Jaemin’s sight.

A few moments later, he was coming down thanks to the woods stairs at the back of the barn. He stopped when he reached them and stayed close to Jaehyun, looking at Jaemin from head to toe, his smile never leaving his face. Finally, he reached an hand out for Jaemin to shake.

“I’m Ten.” He presented himself. “Welcome there, newbie.”

“Jaemin. And thanks I guess.” 

“Ten’s a worker here.” Jaehyun explained. “We met at school and since then he was always sneaking here so grandma offered him a job. He’s practically living here now. He’s a friend of the family.”

“You’re still calling me your friend?” Ten gasped, a hand on his heart. “Did you hear that sound? That was my heart shattering. I thought we passed that stage a long time ago Jaehyunnie.” he fakely sniffled. 

At the scene, Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused.

Jaehyun huffed, amused, and wrapped an arm around Ten’s waist, who immediately stopped his fake crying to replace it by a smirk.

“Okay, so more than a friend.” Jaehyun added.

“Boyfriend actually.” Ten pointed out.

“Oh…” Jaemin intelligently said before shaking his head to wake up. “I mean, congrats… Uh…”

“Does it bother you?” Jaehyun asked, his tone soft.

“No.” Jaemin shook his head. “I mean, I’m also on the other side so… Yeah.” He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck. He didn’t like talking about his life in general but since he didn’t know them he found it embarrassing. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll be the last one to judge you. Same thing for the twins.”

“The twins?” Jaemin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You should meet them in a few minutes.” Ten winked and made his way outside.

Jaehyun mentioned to Jaemin to follow the smaller male, so he did.

He could hear sounds coming from away. Mostly shouts. But he could also see figures making their way to them. When they became clearer, he spotted two young man, each one on a horse on each side of a sheep flock. They quickly passed in front of them, entering a huge run a few meters away, locking the sheep in after the two horses got out, as well as an Australian shepherd Jaemin didn’t notice before. 

The two boys made their way to them, not bothering to get their feet on the floor.

“Did you lose any this time?” Ten asked, almost seriously.

“Nope.” The boy on the left answered with an eye smile. “Well, almost, but Sirius ran after them so no worries. And stop reminding me that, it happened what? Once. I’m good at it now.”

“Jeno almost got lost on the way back but besides that nothing surprising.” The boy on the right added.

“I did not.” The eye-smiled boy denied.

“You did. Even Sirius remembered better than you.”

It ended with eye-smile boy pouting while sun-kissed boy was smirking. It’s him who noticed Jaemin.

“Oops. Sorry bro, I think I exposed you in front of our cute newbie.” He wasn’t sorry at all.

Jaemin could feel a blush rising to his cheeks and he cleared his throat embarrassed.

“I’m Donghyuck, you can call me Hyuck though.” The sun-kissed boy added. “And this loser is my little brother, Jeno.”

“Hi. Don’t listen to him, I’m the oldest.” Jeno waved at him with his famous eye smile.

“Maybe officially, but unofficially, we all know it’s me. I’m the mature one.”

“Excuse me?”

They kept on going like that without caring about them anymore so Jaehyun sighed next to him.

“They’re always like that.” He said to Jaemin.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” Ten smirked when he noticed what Jaemin was looking at. “Or maybe you already are.”

Jaemin felt a new blush coming to his cheeks so he quickly looked away from the eye-smiled boy who just took his cow boy hat off to throw it at his brother, revealing blonde strands. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad after all…

 

Since Jaemin arrived during the afternoon, the day went by quickly. And it was already dinner time. His mother has gone back home a few hours prior, saying that she’ll see him at the end of the summer.

So now, here he was, sitting at the Lee’s dinner table. Mrs. Lee was seated at the other end of the table, in front of him. The twins were on his left and Ten and Jaehyun were on his right. Mrs. Lee had prepared a banquet even though they were only six. And after his first plate of potatoes, Jaemin’s stomach was already full so he declined when Jaehyun proposed him another dish. The older shrugged and gave it to the twins instead, who seemed to be starving.

“Looks like you haven’t eaten in ages.” Ten said, amused, slowly eating his own dish.

“We leaved this morning without eating.” Jeno whined, engulfing a fork full of potatoes and vegetables in his mouth. “Horse ride and flock supervision with empty stomachs I don’t know how we survived the day.”

“That’s your fault, actually. You didn’t want to wake up.” Donghyuck explained. “And we survived because I’m the one with brain cells so I brought biscuits. And we found berries on the way.”

“You weren’t awake either, stop blaming me.”

“Boys.” Mrs. Lee warned

“Sorry!”  The two said in unison and went back to eat, silently.

That brought a smile to Jaemin’s face.

“Oh my god, he smiled.” Donghyuck muttered in awe.

“Lee Donghyuck!” his grandmother threw him a dish towel in the face.

This time, a laugh escaped Jaemin’s mouth but gladly, he wasn’t the only one.

 

By the time they finished eating dinner, it was already time to go to bed. Jaehyun and Ten bid their farewell first, while the youngers were helping cleaning the dishes.

“You boys can go to sleep.” Mrs. Lee eventually said. “Help Jaemin set himself.”

The twins immediately dropped what they were doing. Jaemin was a bit more reluctant to do so, he didn’t want to seem impolite, but a smile from the old lady assured him it was fine. 

He followed the two other boys upstairs and they began to show him around.

“The bathroom is here.” Donhyuck pointed a door on the left.

“The right door is Jaehyun and Ten’s room.” Jeno followed.

“And this one, is our room.” They both said in unison, opening the door in front of them.

The room was really simple. A desk just under the only window and twin beds on each side.

“We sleep on the left one so you’re free to have the right one for yourself.” Jeno chuckled. “Make yourself comfortable.” He quickly ran out of the room. “First one to the bathroom.”

“Asshole.” The red-haired muttered. “Be quick!”

He then turned to Jaemin and smirked. And to be honest, it quite scared Jaemin.

“Ready to be up at five thirty tomorrow?”

 

“Wake up sunshines!” a loud voice yelled in Jaemin’s ears, which freaked him out and made him jump in his bed.

“I’m awake, I’m awake…what?” he asked, panicked but still sleepy.

He heard Ten laugh at his face before the older made his way to the twins’ beds. Hyuck had an arm outside his sheets and was sleeping sea star like while Jeno was wrapped in his blankets like a human burrito.

Ten yelled the same thing he yelled to Jaemin a few minutes ago but unlike Jaemin, the two other boys simply groaned. Jeno got his head out of his blankets and his sleepy eyes fell on Jaemin. He smiled groggily and weakly waved to him.

“Morning.” He croaked, and his head fell back on his pillow.

“Come on, breakfast’s ready.” Ten said and got out of the room, leaving three sleepy boys behind him.

 

“So, Jaemin.” Hyuck stopped him while he was moving a hay bale at the other end of the barn. 

Jaemin turned to him after he set the bale down, wiping sweat from his forehead. It was already the afternoon and Jaemin didn’t see the morning went by. 

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Do you know how to ride a horse?” Donghyuck asked, playfully.

“I guess… It’s been a long time though. My grandparents had one when I was younger.” Jaemin shrugged.

“Come with me to the stable, we’ll check on that.”

Jaemin didn’t question it further and simply followed the older boy to the stable, which was not so far from the barn. When they entered inside, they were immediately welcomed by the neighs of the horses. And when they passed through the stalls, Jaemin spotted Jeno in one of them. The blonde was taking care of foal, feeding him milk thanks to a baby bottle.

The sight was so cute Jaemin didn’t realized he had stopped walking. And Jeno must have felt someone watching him because he looked up to the younger and smiled when he saw him.

“Hey.” He greeted Jaemin even though they have seen each other in the morning. “I guess Hyuck is going to test your horse ride abilities?” he asked playfully, readjusting the baby bottle in the foal’s mouth.

“Seems so.” Jaemin giggled.

“Good luck then.” Jeno sincerely said, nodding dramatically but it didn’t last long because it was replaced by his eye smile. He looked back and forth between Jaemin and the foal. “Do you want to try?”

“I – uh-“

“Are you stealing my student my dear brother?” Donghyuck voice cut.

“Never, dear brother.” 

“Good.” Donghyuck nodded. “Jaemin.” He added, placing a hand on the younger’s shoulder. “Don’t die today, please.”

“Why would I?” Jaemin asked, confused.

“You’ll ride Hollow. He’s the only one available. He’s a filthy beast.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Jeno rolled his eyes. “He’s very calm.”

“Or should I make him ride Icarus?” Donghyuck gasped.

“Icarus is giving me a hard time.” Jeno sighed. “Give him Hollow don’t be a jerk.”

Jaemin watched the two brothers bickering, amused. When Donghyuck pulled on his shirt sleeve, he understood the red-haired has made his choice. Jaemin waved goodbye at Jeno and was about to follow Donghyuck when the blonde-haired called him back.

“You can help me feed Orion tomorrow if you want.” He smiled, mentioning to the foal next to him.

Jaemin smiled back and nodded. 

 

The week quickly went by and Jaemin found himself enjoying his time here. 

Ten would say it’s thanks to a certain someone but Jaemin denied that. But that’s right that the twins made the whole thing more enjoyable, thanks to their bright personalities. But Jaemin didn’t mind Jaehyun and Ten calmer ones sometimes.

Well, the twins were loud when they were together, they were always bickering. But when Jaemin spend time alone with only one of them he noticed that Jeno was much calmer and quieter than his brother. He even seemed shy. Donghyuck was the opposite. 

It was a little before dinner when Jaemin heard Donghyuck’s voice calling for him, as well as his brother. 

They both got out of the house at the same time, and they discovered Donghyuck speaking with a hazel-haired boy. Jeno quickly went to hug the boy while Jaemin stayed behind, unsure of what to do.

“Jaemin, this is Renjun.” Donghyuck introduced him. “He’s our childhood friend.”

Renjun smiled at him and Jaemin smiled back.

“I work in a ranch a few miles away.” Renjun explained. “I met the twins on a flock supervising. Since then we’re friends.”

“Jaemin.” Jeno called him. “Have you ever camped?” 

“Does camping in a garden count?” Jaemin asked and giggled.

“Guess you didn’t then. Great, first time for everything!” Donghyuck said happily.

“I don’t understand…” Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows.

“During summer, we go camping every Saturday night, we come back Sunday in the afternoon.” Jeno explained.

Jaemin nodded. 

Well, why not?

 

He didn’t know since when they were riding but the weight of their camping stuffs started to become heavy. Jaemin’s shoulders were screaming in pain.

Seeing his struggle, Jeno, who was next to him on his palomino mare, giggled.

“We’re almost there.” He assured. “A few more minutes.”

“Thank god.” Jaemin muttered, more for himself, but the other heard him nonetheless.

Jaemin pouted as Jeno was laughing at his misery and decided to watch in front of him instead. Renjun and Donghyuck were riding ahead, very close to each other as they were talking. Jaemin rose an eyebrow and turned to look back at Jeno, who sent him the same knowing look, which made them laugh. 

“Okay lovebirds stop giggling we’re here!” Donghyuck called them and Jeno snorted very loudly while Jaemin coughed to hide his blush. 

The setting of their tents went surprisingly quick. Not that Jaemin minded though. Renjun and Donghyuck went searching some woods for their campfire while Jaemin stayed behind with Jeno, taking care of the horses. The two others came back a few minutes later just as Jaemin finished to tie Hollow’s halter.

“Alright folks.” Donghyuck threw the woods on the same place they would lit it and put his hands on his hips. “Sleeping arrangements.”

Donghyuck pointedly look at Jeno and him and Jaemin didn’t understand why.

“I’m sleeping with Injunnie, I’m not sleeping with your snoring ass.” The red-haired finally said, looking at Jeno with a smirk.

“We literally sleep in the same room every night.” Jeno rolled his eyes. “And I don’t snore, you do.”

Renjun looked between the twins with a raised brow, but when he glanced at Jaemin, his face suddenly turned into a smirk.

Jaemin gulped.

 

Night had fallen a long time ago, but the four boys were still up. And their fire hadn’t died yet.

To everyone’s surprise, well except Jeno who just shook his head in disbelief, Donghyuck got four beers out of his bag.

“Oh my god.” Renjun muttered and threw his head back. “I swear you’re incredible.”

“Thanks but I already know that.” Donghyuck smirked at Renjun, handing him a beer. 

Renjun took the bottle, sighing but shot a smile nonetheless. Jeno wriggled his eyebrows at his brother before the latter literally threw him the bottle in the face, Jeno caught it before it could harm him though and handed it to Jaemin, who reluctantly took it.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.” Jeno calmly said when he saw Jaemin’s reluctance.

“No it’s okay. I’m just not the drinking type.”

“Neither am I, don’t worry.” Jeno answered, eyeing his beer with a small pout. He opened it and turn back to Jaemin. “Cheers.” He said and took a sip, slightly making a face.

Jaemin chuckled softly and did the same, not noticing the way Jeno was looking at him with a smile on his face.

And even though Donghyuck seemed not paying attention as he was speaking with Renjun (and trying not to blush, Jeno would add), he saw everything. 

 

They went to sleep hours ago, and even though Jaemin managed to fall asleep, he suddenly jerked awake when he felt the cold running through his bones. He tried to warm himself by curling even more than he was before but it didn’t seemed to work. He heard sounds behind him and seconds later, a groggy voice.

“Jaemin?” Jeno asked, eyes half open. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah. Go back to sleep.” Jaemin cursed his chattering teeth.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder and he heard the other gasped.

“Jeez, you’re freezing.” Jeno moved besides him and Jaemin slowly turned on himself to see what he was doing. When Jeno looked up at him, he opened his arms. “Come here.”

Jaemin blamed it on the cold but he threw himself into Jeno’s arms, sneaking for warmth, which he found. Jeno’s arms wrapped around him and Jaemin hid is, surely, blushing face into the other’s neck. The blonde boy adjusted the sheets over them and made himself comfortable, his head resting on top of Jaemin’s.

“Better?” he asked after a minute or two.

“Much better.”

 

“Okay Jaemin. I have a deal for you.” Donghyuck came to tell him one day in the end of July. 

Jaemin let the horse be to give all his attention to Donghyuck, who was smiling at him.

“What about you go supervise the flocks with Jeno? And Sirius of course. Wait don’t answer, you have no choice.” The red-haired boy smirked and started to leave the stable.

“Wait, Hyuck!” Jaemin called him back. “Weren’t you supposed to go?”

“Yes I was.”

“Why do you want me to go then?” Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows.

“Oh come on!” Donghyuck rolled his eyes but he wasn’t annoyed as his gaze was fond. “Nana, you can’t fool me. Jeno even less.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guys are so dense!” the sun-kissed boy sighed. “Find out by yourselves. I can’t go anyway I have to meet Renjun.” He cleared his throat, a small blush on his cheeks and started to leave again. “You guys leave tomorrow morning for five days!”

“Go get your man!” Jaemin shouted.

“Speak for yourself!”

Jaemin could only grinned as he went back to work.

 

“Do you like it there?” Jeno asked during their third night, around a campfire, Sirius sleeping with his head on his thigh, and he was petting him gently, Jaemin sometimes petting him too.

Jaemin who was wrapped up in blankets teared his eyes away from the fire to look at the boy next to him. The fire was shining in Jeno’s eyes and Jaemin couldn’t look away.

“Do you mean, right here or the ranch?”

“Both I guess.” Jeno shrugged.

“At first I didn’t like it… Because I had plans with my best friend I won’t see in months because he’s going back to Canada, but as days passed… I’m enjoying it here more than I thought.” Jaemin grinned. “Some people make it enjoyable.”

Jeno rubbed his neck nervously. The gesture didn’t escape Jaemin.

“What about here?” the blonde asked again, mentioning their surroundings.

“I like it.” Jaemin answered, directly looking into Jeno’s eyes.

“Why?”

“Someone makes the whole thing more pleasant.”

“I didn’t like being there at first. Of course it was always nice since Donghyuck was here, Sirius too but… in the end we just stayed there watching sheep eating grass. But now…It’s not the same.”

“Why?” Jaemin asked in turn.

“Someone changed the whole feeling of being here.” Jeno answered.

They were close. Very close. Jaemin didn’t know when they moved closer, but he didn’t mind it.

They looked in each other’s eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. Jaemin wasn’t sure of the boundaries they’ve crossed, so to taste the water, he closed the gap between them in a small peck before parting away, not too far away though. Jeno shot this eye smile that Jaemin loved to see and also closed the gap between them, but it lasted a bit longer than the previous one.

They both smiled like two idiots after that, and Jaemin leaned his head on the older’s shoulder to hide his blush.

“I have to thank Hyuck later…” Jaemin muttered and giggled.

Jeno followed and his arm circled Jaemin’s waist, bringing even more warmth to his shivering body. 

 

“I swear if you say that nothing happened I’m quitting this job and Jeno I’m cancelling you as a twin brother.” Was the first thing Donghyuck said to him when they closed the sheep’s run. 

“You’ll miss me too much to cut any contacts with me.” Jeno said and made his way back to his horse. “And grandma won’t let you live if you don’t come back here next holidays.”

“Shit you’re right.” Donghyuck muttered. “So, spill the tea.”

Jaemin simply stayed here, watching the twins with a fond look. He felt a stare on him, so he looked at Jeno, responding the stare.

“Oh god thank you, finally.”

“What about you?” Jaemin asked after he’s done giggling. “How was your date?” he wriggled his eyebrows.

Donghyuck only coughed.

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Jeno.” He called his brother.

Jeno looked back at him, a soft smile on his features. Donghyuck now wearing the exact same smile on his own face.

“I’m happy for you too.” Jeno finally said after a moment and Jaemin understood they were silently talking. Surely a twin’s thing. He smiled fondly at the two.

“Jaemin.” Donghyuck then called him. “He’s a pain in the ass but take good care of him okay?”

Jaemin nodded and answered with a “don’t worry” before Jeno broke in.

“Who’s really the pain in the ass?” Jeno joked. 

“You, obviously.”

“You little shit.” Jeno said before running after his brother, both boys screaming.

Jaemin shook his head fondly and pulled the horses back in their stalls.

 

Jaemin mentally cursed his thirstiness and the cold that once again ran through his body which would make him leave the cozy warmth of his bed if he didn’t want to die of thirst. Sighing, he untangled himself from his blankets and put his feet on the floor and silently got up. He spotted Hyuck’s shape in his blankets and when he lifted his eyes to watch inside Jeno’s bed, he was surprised to see that it was empty. 

A slight panic took control of his body. Where was the other?

A little light coming from the window attracted his attention. When he looked closely, it came from the stable.

Jaemin grabbed his jacket and shoes and silently made his way outside, heading to the stable.

The wind was cold, which made him tighten his jacket around him. He quickly reached the stable and when he entered, it was surprisingly warm. He walked a bit slower when he noticed Jeno in one of the stalls, kneeled near his mare, petting her neck while muttering. The mare was lying on her side, which questioned Jaemin.

Jeno noticed him when he entered the stall and kneeled next to him.

“Everything’s alright?” Jaemin asked, worried.

Jeno smiled reassuringly at him.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.”

“Why is she lying down?”

“She’s giving birth.”

Jaemin’s eyes widened at the realization and he slightly panicked.

“Shouldn’t you call a veterinary?” 

“Only if things are getting complicated.” Jeno explained. “Nothing’s out of the ordinary for now, the foal’s forelegs have already come out. She can do it alone, I’ll help if it’s needed. And call a professional if it’s going wrong.” While speaking, Jeno mentioned the foal’s forelegs that were already out.

“Wow…” Jaemin muttered.

“You’re not obliged to stay if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s okay.” The blonde boy said softly and grabbed his hand, the other still petting the horse.

Jaemin intertwined their fingers, shook his head and smiled at him.

“I’ll stay.” He said and Jeno giggled, muttering a soft ‘okay’.

They stayed silent after that, their hands still intertwined while they were petting the mare with their others, waiting for the process to be done. When finally the foal was here, Jeno mentioned for them to move near the stall’s door to let the two others space since they’ll be moving sooner or later. They both got out of the stall, leaning on their elbows on the stall metal bars and watching the scenery in front of them.

“Who’s the father?” Jaemin suddenly asked.

“Hollow’s the father.” Jeno answered, his eyes not leaving his mare helping the newborn foal getting clean.

The answer bought a grin to Jaemin’s face. Jeno looked at him curiously.

“What is it?”

“Since Hollow’s the father and Echo’s the mother… Does that make this little one like our own son?” Jaemin grinned.

Jeno turned crimson at Jaemin’s statement and choked on his own saliva. Jaemin grinned proudly.

“Yeah.” Jeno said once he found his breathing again. “We can say that.”

“How should we name him then?” Jaemin asked, watching the foal fondly, and Jeno smiled at that.

“Tell what you want. Jaehyun and Ten named their horses Athos and Porthos because they were in their ‘Three Musketeers’ phase. And a bit drunk too…” Jeno recalled, shivering. “Please don’t call him Aramis they won’t stop otherwise.” He pleaded the other. 

Jaemin giggled and nodded, thinking hard.

“Cyrus. It was a Persian Emperor if I recall… Or we can name him Socrates.”

“Oh god no. Don’t bring philosophy here.” Jeno cried. “Cyrus is nice.” He smiled.

Jaemin leaned his head on his shoulder, same smile on his face as Jeno leaned his head on his, both of them watching as the foal’s took his first attempt at walking on his own.

 

Jaemin was in the mountains with Jeno again. They had let the horses grazed peacefully while they were walking among the sheep, sharing glances from time to time.

It’s when Jaemin was about to go back to where the horses were that he felt something wrapping and tightening around him. He slightly panicked, not understanding what was going on. When he shot a glance at what was wrapped around him, he saw it was a rope. 

It made him furrow his eyebrows and when he felt being pulled backwards, he turned to see who had throw the rope around him.

He was not surprised to find Jeno, lasso in hand and laughing as if it was the funniest thing ever.

Jaemin shot him an unimpressed look, but it quickly disappeared because of Jeno’s smile.

“Do you think it’s funny?” he tried to look angry, but his smile was betraying him.

“Absolutely.” Jeno answered as he kept pulling on the rope, bringing Jaemin closer.

The younger couldn’t move his hands, so when Jeno stopped pulling once he was in front of him and immediately cupped his cheeks to crash they lips together, the only thing Jaemin could do was happily complied and kissed back.

  
  


It was Jaemin’s last day.

Everything he has done during the day had a bitter taste. But what really tasted like the end was the hug he shared with the twins and Renjun when his mother told him they were ready to go.

Donghyuck had pulled Renjun away, towards Jaemin’s mother, to give him and Jeno some privacy and Jaemin silently thanked him for that.

He didn’t want to look at the other but when he felt Jeno’s hands on his cheeks, he had too. The blonde dived on his lips hurriedly. 

Even the kiss tasted too bitter.

“Come on, don’t be sad.” Jeno said softly.

“How?” Jaemin asked. “It has only been three months and it feels like it’s been years.”

“I know, I have that feeling too.” The blonde said, stroking his cheeks. “But just tell yourself it’s a matter of days, weeks at most.”

At that, Jaemin frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Jeno pecked his lips and smiled.

“You’re going to town for college right?” When Jaemin nodded, he went on. “With Hyuck and Injun… We’re going too. Injun will major in arts and Hyuck and I are going to major in science.” Jeno explained.

Jaemin could feel a wide smile creeping on his face. Jeno reciprocated it and hugged him tightly.

“I still have one question though…” Jeno whispered, his cheek squished in Jaemin’s hair.

“Go on.”

“Are you coming back next summer?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Happy birthday Jeno! 
> 
> Come yell at me here: [Twitter](https://twitter.com/niconeo3)  
> [curiouscat](https://t.co/e1UnChL5kj)


End file.
